Self opening and closing container cap



April 1, 1939.

R. R. RUNDELL SELF OPENING AND CLOSING CONTAINER CAP Filed May 5, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet April 1, 1930. R. R. RUNDELL SELF OPENING AND CLOSING CONTAINER CAP Filed May 5, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet Ilium April 1,1930.

R. R. RUNDELL SELF OPENING AND CLOSING CONTAINER CAP Fil d May 5, 1927 4 sneetssheet mawmX .QMM

whom/W SELF OPENING AND CLOSING CONTAINER CAP Filed May "5, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet ll H Patented Apr. 1, 1930 PATENT OFF-ICE RAYMOND R. RUNDELL, OF MIAMI, FLORIDA SELF OPENING AND CLOSING CONTAINER CAP Application filed May 5,

This invention relates to receptacles or cans for containing powder, condiment holders, or the like, and more especially to they caps or closures for said receptacles or cans.

The objects of the invention are First, to provide a closure of the character above indicated which will quickly and automatically open the top section of a can or receptacle through whichrthe contents of the receptacle may escape when said can or receptacle is inverted and returnsaid closure to its closed and tightly sealing position when said receptacle is made to assume its inoperative or normal position.

Second, to provide a closure or cap above indicated and operated in the manner above described which consists of a minimum of parts, easily manufactured at a low cost, quickly assembled by unskilled labor -and at the same time constantly function under all conditions of service. 7

Third, to'provide a cap or closure which after being attached and properly adjusted with respect to the top of the can or receptacle will always perform all the functions to automatically open or close the section or top of the container through which the contents of the receptacle escapes.

Fourth, to provide a cap or closure fora top of a receptacle which canbe easily machined from stock material or forged or cast with a single operation and applied to a receptacle top of simple construction in a minimum of time and manual operations and after said cap or closure is so applied it will automatically seat itself to tightly seal the top of the receptacle thereby insuring and preventing any ac cess of moisture or vermin into the interior of said receptacle when not in use. I

Fifth, to provide a cap or closure so con-. structed and arranged whichcan be quickly adjustedand held or locked in its adj ustedposition to regulate the discharge from the container and without in any way modifying or changing the construction of said container.

Sixth, to provide cap or closure of such construction which can be securely retained within the container or receptacle when in use and at the sametime permit its easy removal when 1927. Serial No. 188,951.

necessary to refill, inspect or clean the container or closure.

Seventh, to provide a cap or closure of such form, weight and construction as to cooperate with the open top of the container or receptacle and be properly guided and seated to tightly seal the interior of the container or receptacle when not in use.

Eighth, to provide a cap or closure of the character. indicated having means for breaking up lumps existing in the material within the container and at the sands time diverting or guiding said material towards the discharge opening when said container is inverted or being used.

Ninth, to provide a cap or closure which is capable of being locked in closed position or in an inoperative position whether the top of the receptacle or container is upwardly or downwardly disposed as during shipment of the same. i

Tenth, other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the detailed clescription of the several parts, manner of assembling the, same and their cooperation.

The invention consists of structural characteristics and relative arrangements of the several parts which will be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the four sheets of drawings, in which the same reference characters indicate the same parts in the different figures of drawing, v

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section partly in elevation of container provided with the improved closure or cap.

Figure 2 is an enlarged transverse sectional View taken on line 11-11 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is the top and a fragmentary view of the container shown in Figure 1 in an inverted position.

igure 4 is a View similar to Figure 1 of modified form of the container when made of glass or similar material.

Figure 5 is a vertical longitudinal section, partly in elevation, of another modified form.

Figure 6 is an enlarged vertical section of the cap or closure shown in Figure 5.

Figure 7 is an enlarged transverse sectional View taken on line VIIVII of Figure 5.

Figure 8 is an enlarged sectional view of a modified form of the cap shown in Figure 6.

Figure 9 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line IXIX of Figure 6.

Figure 10 is the top and fragmentary view of the container shown in Figure 5 in an inverted position.

Figure 11 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the top of a container with a further modified form of closure.

Figure 12 is a top plan view of the container shown in Figure 11 with the cap or closure removed.

Figure 13 is a top plan view of a retainer used in the modification shown in Figure 11.

Figure 14 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of a modified form of that shown in Figure 11.

Figure 15 is a top plan view of the container shown in Figure 14 with the cap or closure removed.

Figure 16 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view, partly in elevation, of another modified form of the invention.

Figure 17 is a transverse section on line XVIIXVII of Figure 16.

Figure 18 is a side elevation of the cap or closure shown in Figure 16 and removed from the container.

Figure 19 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of a modification of the form shown in Figure 16 Figure 20 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view, partly in elevation of another modified form. V

Figure 21 is a transverse section on line XXI-X.XI of Figure 20.

Figure 22 is a vertical longitudinal sec tional view, partly in elevation, of a modified form of that shown in Figure 20.

Figure 23 is a top plan view and partly in section on line XXIII-XXIII of Figure 22.

Figure 24 is a transverse sectional view of a modified form of the invention shown in Figures 20 and 23.

Figure 25 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of a further modified form; and

Figure 26 is an enlarged and perspective view of a retaining bar employed and detached from the modified form shown in Fig ure 25.

Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3, 30 is the hollow body of the receptacle or container which is provided at its top with a circular opening 31 having an inner annular edge or seat 32.

On the inner wall 33 of the container and below the annular edge or seat 32 is provided a plurality of separated projections 34 extending radially from said inner wall 33, and said projections 34 are properly formed by indenting the material forming the body of the container, as shown.

35 is a sell closing cap or closure which is formed with an upper frustroconical section 36 and an outwardly flaring lower section 37 connected thereto and a secondary lower conical section 38. The diameter of the outer annular periphery of said flaring section 37 being slightly larger than the diameter of the circle tangent to the inner ends of the radial projections 34, 34, but of such proportion as to enable the flaring section 37 to be easily depressed into the receptacle or container and beyond said projections 34 and permit the cap or closure 35 to assume the position, as shown in Figure 1, so that the frustro-conical section 36 in its normal position will be loosely seated on the upper annular edge or seat 32 for the purpose of closing or sealing the interior of the container and said section 36 will unseat itself from the edge 32 when the container is inverted, as shown in Figure 3, as will be readily understood.

Said cap or closure 35 is made of such form and proportions, as illustrated, and of such material as to enable the same to be easily machined or turned from stock material at a minimum cost and without expert or laborious finishing operations, and at the same time permit said cap or closure to be quickly placed in the correct position in the container thereby omitting the usual taking down or reassembling operations for the attachment of a cap or closure to a container as now practiced.

Figure 4 shows the same form of cap or closure 35 as shown and described with reference to Figures 1 to 3, except the neck or upper section 39 is separable and detachably connected by a screw threaded connection 40, as shown, and enables the contents of the container to be inspected, removed, or introduced without disturbing the cap or closure 35.

Figures 5, 6, 7 8 and 9 show a modification of the invention in which the upper opening of the receptacle is the full diameter of the container, and its cap or closure is of the same general shape as the closure 35, shown in Figures 1 and 4,-except that it is made 1101 low and of two stamped metal sections 41. and 42 which are secured or soldered together at their annular meeting edges 43, as shown in Figure 6, thus providing another method of cheaply and quickly manufacturing a closure or cap having all the essential features of construction and adjustment, previously described with reference to Figures 1 and 4. In this form of cap or closure shown in Figures 5-to 10, the lower stamped section 42 is of less diameter than the upper opening of the receptacle and is provided with outwardly projecting protrusions 44, 44, having recesses or sockets 45, 45, adapted to register with and receive the projections 46, 46, thereby forming three narrow arcuate-shaped passageways or outlets 47, 47, for the egress of the contents of the receptacle through the opening between the cap or closure and inner walls of the container or receptacle at the top, as clearly shown in Figures 7 and 8. The upper section 41 is provided with a frustroconical surface 48 which is so proportioned and disposed to seat itself on the upper top edge 49 of the receptacle opening, as clearly shown in Figure 6, and seal the interior of the receptacle similar to the frustro-conical section 36 described with referenceto Figures 1 to 3.

If so desired, this form of cap or closure may be locked in its seated position, shown in Figure 5, by providing each of the recesses or sockets 45, 45, with a lateral extension or pocket 50, as indicated in Figure 8, with which the adjacent projection 46 will register and frictionally engage when the cap or closure is lightly rotated, and hence will prevent the conical surface 48 of the closure from leaving its seat or top edge 49 and avoid the escape of the contents of the receptacle through the outlets 47, 47, in all positions of the receptacle during shipment.

Referring to- Figures 11, 12 and 13, a fur- I ther modification isillustrated in which the inner wall at the top of the receptacle is provided with an inwardly extending flange 51 provided with a plurality of separated perforations or openings 52 and an upper inwardly dished and annular seat 53. Cooperating with this seat 53 is a cap or closure 54 of the same general shape as that described with reference to Figures 1 and 5, except that the inner or lower conical section 55 is provided with a shallow horizontal groove 56 in which is sprung or retained a yielding annular-shaped retainer 57 having outwardly extending spring pins 58 whichare adapted to bend or yield, as shown by dotted lines in Figure 11, to permit the pins 58 I to pass down and by the flange 51 and the section 55 to be placed within the receptacle and the conical surface 59 to be seated on the annular seat 53 and cover the openings 52, as shown in Figure 11.

Figures 14 and 15 show substantially the same arrangement and construction as illustrated in Figures 11, 12 and 13, the cap or closure 54 and retaining ring 57 are the same, except the opening of the receptacle is provided with an inner annular recessed flange 60 having a series of openings 61 in its bottom, said cap or closure 54 seated on a dished seat 62 formed on the top edge of the receptacle and flange 60, as shown.

Figures 16, 17 and 18 show a form of the invention in which the cap or closure is provided with three grooves 63, 63, alternating with three other and shallower grooves 64, 64, said grooves 63 acting as conduits for the passage of the material from the receptacle, while the shallower grooves 64 register with and receive the inwardly directed projections 65 formed in the neck of the receptacle, said projections 65 acting as guides and stops for the cap or closure when the receptacle is inverted for removing the contents. Said shallower grooves 64 are also formed with lat: eral or branch grooves 66, as shown in Figure 18, in which the projections 65 pass on partial rotation of the cap to lock the gravity operated cap in its closed or inoperative position and tightly against the seal top edge of the receptacle for purposes, as previously described.

Figure 19 is a modificationsimilar to that just described with reference to Figures 5 and 6, and Figures 16 and 17, in which the cap or closure 67 is preferably formed of a hollow body having its upper and lower cone sections 68 and 69 integrally formed and said upper cone section adapted to be seated in a corresponding cone-shaped seat 70 formed at the top edge of the receptacle, while the lower cone section 69 is only provided with the guide and stop grooves 72 cooperatingwith the projections 7 3. Said grooves 72 are also provided with the lateral grooves 74 coacting with the projections 73 in the same manner for locking the cap 67 to its seat 70, as explained with reference to the form of cap shown in Figures 16 and 17, and needs no further explanation.

Figures 20 and 21 show a modification of the invention in which the cap or closure consists of an upper section 75 having a lower cone-shaped surface 76 cooperating with a correspondingly shaped annular seat 77 formed on the inner edge of the receptacle opening, as shown. To the underside of the upper section 75 is secured by a pin or screw 78, or any other suitable connection, a disk 79 and leaf spring 80 arranged as illustrated, said disk 79 having a plurality of semi-circular notches 81 removed from its periphery for the purpose of providing passageways to connect the interior of the receptacle with the exterior, when the surface 76 of the cap is removed from the seat 77. The free ends of the spring 80 are made sufliciently resilient to allow the same to yield and pass the inner edge of the annular seat 77, and at the same time stiff enough to react against the inner shoulder 82 and prevent the gravity operated closure from becoming detached from the receptacle when the same is inverted or upset.

Figures 22 and 23 illustrate substantially the same construction and arrangement as shown and described with reference to Figures 20 and 21, except instead of providing a cap with one disk 79 with notches 81, a pair of superimposed and similar disks 791, having notches 811, are employed and the pin 781 engages a bowed spring 801 which yieldingly and adjustably sustains the lower disk 7 91 with respect to the inner disk 792, so as topermit the notches 811 of the lowermost or outer disk 791 to register more or less with the notches 811 of theinner disk 7 92, and accordingly vary the cross-section or size of the openings leading to the exterior, and hence regulate the supply of the material issuing from the receptacle through the superimposed and adjusted notches 811.

Figure-24 is substantially the same invention as described with reference to Figures 9.0 and 21, with the exception of using a disk 79 with six semi-circular notches 81, as described in these figures, there is employed a single disk 7 93 having three equally spaced and radially disposed guide lugs 79d which form three peripheral arcuate-shaped notches 795, as shown, whereby is provided three equally spaced and uniform feed outlets around the circular top or opening of the receptacle.

Figures 25 and 26 show substantially the same form of invention shown in Figures 20 and 21, and the upper section 755, cone-shaped surface 765, cooperating annular seat 77 5, disk 795 with notches 815 and pin or screw 7 85 are of the same construction and arranged in the same manner as described with reference to the same parts shown in Figures 20 and 21, except that instead of employing a spring 80,a bar 805 rigidly heldby said pin 785 and having threaded ends 806, as shown in Figure 26, is used, and the inner annular vertical wall of the shoulder 825 is provided with a threaded surface 826 which is of the same pitch and isadapted to be engaged by the threaded ends of the bar 805.

To assemble the cap or closure to the 0011- tainer of the modificationshown {in Figures 25 and 26, the cap or closure with its rigidly secured bar 805 is so adj usted into the annular seat 775, so, that the threadedends 806 of said bar are brought in contact with the outer threads of the threaded surface 826. The cap is then partially rotated until the threaded ends 806 catch or engage the threaded surface 826 and said rotation is continued until said bar 805 is disengaged and freed from the innermost thread when the cap or closure will be free to permit its cone-shaped surface 765 to be seated in the cooperating annular seat 775 and assume the position shown in Figure 25.

The operation of the invention is substantially the same in all the modifications described, and is as follows:

\Vhen the container or receptacle is inverted the gravity operated cap or closure drops such a distance until its upper cone-shaped section is unseated from its cooperating and inwardly dished seat and in so doing opens up a passageway for the egress of the material within the container.

The material within the container in gravitating towards the top of the inverted container is thrown against the lower and upwardly pointed conical section of the cap or closure, as shown, for example, in Figures 3 and 10, and in so doing said pointed conical section not only breaks up the material and frees it from lumps but at the same time unobstructedly and uniformly guides or feeds the material towards the outlet or discharge passageway between said cap or closure and its seat, and said discharge or egress of the material will continue until the container is brought back to its normal position. As the container is being brought back to its normal position, and due to the seat of the gravity operated cap or closure being inwardly dished, any material resting on the seat will freely slide on said seat and drop back into the container, thus automatically and entirely cleaning the seat so as to permit the cap or closure to quickly and again assume its sealing position on the container.

From the foregoing description of the construction and arrangement of the several parts and manner of assembling the same, it will be seen that though the herein described self opening and closing cap or closure is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and embraces a minimum of parts, the same fully and efhciently carries out all the functions, and has all the advantages pointed out in the statement of invention. It is also manifest that many changes or modifications would readily suggest themselves without in any way departing from the spirit of the present invention, and, therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the specific details herein shown and described.

hat I claim is:

1. The combination of a container or receptacle having a circular opening with an annular edge in the top and a plurality of separated projections extending from the interior wall of said container and adjacent to and below the top edge of said circular opening, a gravity closing or opening cap or closure having an outer substantially conical surface passing within the circular opening and having its upper section adapted to be seated on the top edge of said opening and an inner substantially conical surface having its apex projecting towards the bottom of the container and its sides inclined towards the interior walls of said circular opening, and means on said cap or closure engaging said projections for retaining said cap or closure within the opening when said container or receptacle is inverted and said outer conical surface is unseated from the top edge to providejan outlet for the contents of the container.-

2. The combination of a container or receptacle having a circular opening with an annular edge in the top and a plurality of separated projections extending radially from the interior wall of said container and adjacent to and below the top edge of said circular opening, a gravity closing or open 111g cap or closure having an outer conical surface passing within the circular opening and having its upper section adapted to be seated on the top edge of said opening and an inner substantially conical surface having its apex projecting towards the bottom of the container and its sides inclined towards the interior walls of said circular opening, and means on said cap or closure engaging said projections for retaining said cap or closure within the opening when said container or receptacle is inverted and said outer conical surface is unseated from the top edge to provide an outlet for the contents of the container.

3. The combination of a container or receptacle having a circular opening with an annular edge in thetop and a plurality of separated projections extending radially from the interior wall of said container and adjacent to and below the top edge of said circular opening, a gravity closing or opening cap or closure having a conical surface passing within the circular opening and having its upper section adapted to be seated on the top edge of said opening and an inner substantially conical surface having its apex projecting towards the bottom of the container and its sides inclined towards the interior walls of said circular opening, and a circular ridge on said cap or closure within the container and below the projections for engaging said projections for retaining said cap or closure within the opening when said container or receptacle is inverted and said outer conical surface is unseated from the top edge to provide an outlet for the contents of the container.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

RAYMOND R. RUNDELL. 

